Vet doesnt know what’s wrong with my hen’s foot… please help me figure out!

[triciayoung]

Thank you so much for reminding me the love these chickens get from people like you and everyone here. In time like this, I’m just deep in drown in grief, guilt, hopelessness and sadness. It’s a an exceptionally wonderful thing you have and your son has. I thank you so much!

Have you ever, for a few minutes or so wonder if you’re just too exhausted and wanted to give up caring for her? Your dedication is beyond my words! She’s beyond lucky!

What’s her name? Do you take her outside? Can she dust bathing? How do you encourage her to eat/ drink? Do you have special dietary for her? What ailments did she have?

I’m really curious and just amazed at how dedicated you are!

Her name is Penny. She is 1 1/2 years old. Her condition was correctable, but only before 5-6 weeks Now it is too late. She has splay leg and curly toes paralysis. Her Xrays look like one leg was put on backwards. She does go outside several times a week. She has the opportunity to dust bath but doesn't. She eats mush, mealworms, watermelon, egg, etc...

 

[triciayoung]

I have a barred rock Abby (Abigail) with bumblefoot, After a month of tricide neo soaks I decided on surgery. My vet did the surgery Wednesday. The wound is packed with silver sulfadiazine cream, and wrapped with gauze, a vet wrap donut, vet wrap and elasticon. I have to change it daily and repack the wound

 

[LapisA]

Okay hun, let’s get a few things straight here.

Hens are little grubs, they shit everywhere and don’t think twice about wandering around and even pecking away at it. They walk over, under and through everything without any consideration of the consequences. What you are encountering is horrid but NOT YOUR FAULT. Hell lady you can’t carry that load around with you.
Sad as it is hens die it happens, shit happens. You cannot blame yourself or you will not survive as their mummy. Don’t do this to yourself or your other girls.
You can only do your best !
You are doing exactly that !
Believe in yourself !
Big Bear Hugz
PS Repeat after me ‘That vet is an ass’

Thank you!
I needed to hear those words because I’m a mess emotionally and you have just given me the strength I needed.
I love these chickens. Something about them warms my heart and soul as I watch them do chickens things in my yard and feel whole. Some I can hold and get cuddly, while others just couldn’t let me have a minute as I check on them. Then there are a few just look at me like I’m the odd looking animal they’re ever seen. But I sure love them and when they are not well, the whole world feels so bleak, so dark, and I just can’t do anything but cry like a baby.

Thank you for giving me the strength to pull through today, everyone here has been so incredibly wonderful, helpful and understanding. I do hope I can pay forward to others if I can gain from this experience.

 

[LapisA]

Her name is Penny. She is 1 1/2 years old. Her condition was correctable, but only before 5-6 weeks Now it is too late. She has splay leg and curly toes paralysis. Her Xrays look like one leg was put on backwards. She does go outside several times a week. She has the opportunity to dust bath but doesn't. She eats mush, mealworms, watermelon, egg, etc...

Oh goodness. I’m sorry and I’m grateful Penny has you in her life. Please give her a hug for me!

 

[LapisA]

I have a barred rock Abby (Abigail) with bumblefoot, After a month of tricide neo soaks I decided on surgery. My vet did the surgery Wednesday. The wound is packed with silver sulfadiazine cream, and wrapped with gauze, a vet wrap donut, vet wrap and elasticon. I have to change it daily and repack the wound

I also read somewhere on here and I can’t seem to find the thread anywhere…that silver sulfadiazine cream is good for bumble foot. How’s Abby doing? Are you still doing this regimen now? Do you have a picture somewhere or do you have a thread somewhere about her I can read? Speaking of silver sulfadiazine, I would like to know how much you used and did you notice any skin discoloration on her foot while using it?

 

[LapisA]

I would pick her up today, and try the soaks to her feet once a day. I think the bumblefoot did not look that bad either. But we see a lot of threads here where people use splints and the tape or vet wrap gets too tight causing damage. Don’t beat yourself up if something happens to her leg, since chickens can get around using one leg. It happens with frostbite in winter, and we have many threads about during Jan-Feb. Just finish the antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medicines, and get to work on attempting to save the foot. Keep us informed with pictures, and let your 5 year old help. I can post some pictures of some chickens who have lost toes or a foot, to know what to expect if you want. You will get through this.

Thank you so very much! Please post pictures because I’m prepared to deal with Lapis may not have the ability to use the other foot. I’ve been looking at chicken “wheelchair “?
I will continue with the soaking.

 

[LapisA]

Did you know that chicken or bird where not taught at Veterinary college years ago.

No, I didn’t know! I love in an area where they are very few, if anyone that keeps chickens. I’d love to be able to connect with ppl that keep chickens! Everyone here is incredible and I’m extremely grateful I come here because I’d definitely be lost and hopeless. It’s so expensive getting a visit through the vet, but I’m weak…. I can’t seem to handle their health and just want to get them to a vet if I’m able!

 

[pennyJo1960]

When I had to treat them we would take the foot remove the scab then squeeze the grunge and not out till like a kernel at the bottom.
neosporin no pain killer fill the whole left. wrap lightly with vet wrap.
change every two days repack with same neosporin.
Birds do not show pain like we do.

 

[LapisA]

Update after earlier vet visit:

The drive was long, agonizing and painful. Traffic was horrible and I was sick to my stomach because I couldn’t wait to see Lapis. I hate leaving her overnight at the vet office but there wasn’t any better option because I live a few towns away from the vet that I know.

We waited for 45 minutes and were finally able to see the vet. I was mad….

The good news: earlier today, and maybe just a few hours before I came, the vet told me he was able to notice healthy tissue under the layer of the bad discoloration skin. It’s a very small area, about the size of a pea so he’s hopeful that there maybe more healthy tissue somewhere else, or for the majority of her foot. But, at this time, nothing is certain because her foot is still very much swollen, discolored, and still looking terrible.

His conclusion, after observing is a few things among many other things could have happened to her, but there are 3 that he could rule out: she got her foot stuck somewhere and tried to get it out but took a while so there was blood clot; someone accidentally stepped really hard in her foot and caused it to severely swelled and infected; her foot got “burnt” as a result of a topical burnt.

Out of those 3 possibilities that he seemed to stick with, I think I can rule out the possibility that someone accidentally stepped on her foot really hard and caused the blood clot.

With the other 2 possibilities that remain, I think I can probably take the blame on me not knowing how to wrap her foot correctly, and caused the severe blood clot when I was trying to wrap her foot after soaking. Maybe I did it too tight…I mean I’ll be honest, I was careful, and read that I should not wrap it too tight, but I’m inexperienced and never had to vet wrap a chicken foot before so I honestly wouldn’t know for sure if what I did actually accelerate the severity of her foot.

The last possibility, which he definitely was emphasizing a bit more is topical burnt. So after soaking her foot in warm epsom salt water about twice a day, indried her foot, sprayed it with veterycin poultry spray, and alternate that with tricide solution, I also applied a bit of neosporin without the pain killer added, and proceeded to wrap her foot up. She was indoor for 10 days, and the first 3 days she was isolated outside in a grassy area.
Did any of those things just don’t work well together and with my inexperienced skill of wrapping her foot, things just turned into a nightmare for her?

Prior to dropping her off at the vet, because the incident happened on Friday and I couldn’t get to the vet until 5 days after i first noticed she was limping, I observed her foot and noticed it looked bad with rash like marks, I scrambled through my chicken’s first aid supply and found a tub of silver sulfadiazine 1% cream that’s expired 2 years ago (please forgive me Lapis) and decided it was “ok” to use a bit on her foot to address those legions that looked like something had cut her foot and turned nasty…. Could an expired silver sulfadiazine cream somehow “cooked” her foot?

Earlier today, after getting back home, I immediately pulled the silver sulfadiazine 1% cream pamphlet and read… under the adverse reactions, there’s a paragraph that said:”Other infrequently occurring events including skin necrosis, erythema multiforme, skin discoloration, burning sensation, rashes, and interstitial nephritis.”

I did not put the cream on her foot more than 2 times prior to her first visit at the vet, but I did wrap her foot with the cream after soaking because I had this expired cream from another vet due to my previous hen got attack by a hawk and it ripped her vent trying to catch her in the yard. At that time, the cream was a miracle that healed her wound wonderfully and she was completely healed after using it for about a week. So I thought, I could use it on Lapis to treat her legions…. And I do know there are threads on here that have positive results with using it to treat bumble foot as well.

I did not ask the vet this question because while I was there, I tried really hard recalling if there was any cleaning solution, if there was anything in the backyard that could accidentally caused to cook her foot…. I’ll ask when they open on Monday….

But, I’d love to hear if anyone can offer further information for me to look into?

Lapis is currently stable, walks a bit, losing lots of weight, but i have her inside the house. I’ll take pictures of her foot tomorrow’s morning to share.

Thank you so much for helping and for being incredibly kind to me and Lapis. We are extremely grateful of you all! I really mean it!

 

[LapisA]

Attached is the silver sulfadiazine cream 1% pamphlet adverse reactions… reading it, I feel like it’s more in line with Lapis’s condition…. Maybe this is what was causing her foot to look so terrible? Maybe she happens to be one of those rare case that she has an allergic reaction to it?